A Little Bit of Family, A Whole Lot of Food, with a Little Bit of Life Thrown In.

Saturday, October 7, 2006

Of Bananas.

Bananas are a perfect food. So it's stands to reason, that any dessert made with banana can't be as bad for you as you would think. Right? One of my absolute favorite desserts on the planet (and I know, I have many absolute favorites) is Bananas Foster. Caramelized bananas served over ice cream and topped with a luscious caramel sauce. There are very few things better, in my humble opinion. And like most dessert recipes, there are many, many variations. One thing that I don't particularly care for is alcohol in my bananas foster. I realize it is traditional, but I don't care for alcohol flavored desserts in general. I like my alcohol in a glass, sometimes with ice, but in a glass. I don't care to eat it. So I eliminate the rum and the flaming- which may be a bit of a letdown to some, but the end result is always a dessert worthy of reflection.

Erika's Bananas Foster

2 bananas, sliced lengthwise

1/4 cup Butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

pinch of cinnamon

1/4 cup orange juice

Good Quality Vanilla Bean ice cream

Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon, stir to combine. Let this mixture come to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Slide the bananas into the pan. Cook until nicely browned on the bottom and flip the bananas over to brown the other side (about 3 minutes total). Remove the bananas to serving dishes and top with vanilla ice cream. Carefully, add the orange juice to the still bubbling sugar mixture. Stir well to combine, and reduce for another minute, so you have a creamy caramel sauce. Drizzle this sauce over the bananas and ice cream. Enjoy every bite.

Unfortunately today I do not have a picture of Bananas Foster. Last night we sat down to watch The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and there wasn't even a thought of taking a photo. So you'll have to use your imagination. Today we have something special planned, so we'll be sure and take the camera and share pictures later.